The Nervous System: Sensory Systems

A series of flashcards covering the anatomy and physiology of the ear, hearing mechanisms, and related sensory systems.

Ear

Organ that is key for hearing and maintaining balance.

Cochlea

Part of the inner ear involved in the transduction of sound energy into neural signals.

Tympanic membrane

Commonly known as the eardrum, it vibrates in response to sound waves.

Ossicles

Three tiny bones in the middle ear (malleus, incus, stapes) that help to amplify sound.

Decibels (dB)

A unit used to measure the intensity of sound.

Hertz (Hz)

A unit of frequency representing the number of cycles per second.

Signal Transduction

The process of converting sound energy into action potentials in the cochlea.

Sensory systems of the ear

Includes the systems responsible for hearing and balance (equilibrium).

Vestibular apparatus

Structures in the inner ear that help maintain balance and spatial orientation.

Stereocilia

Hair-like projections on hair cells that play a key role in sound transduction.

Tip link proteins

Proteins that connect stereocilia and help in the opening and closing of ion channels.

Conductive deafness

Hearing loss due to inadequate conduction of sound waves in the external or middle ear.

Sensorineural deafness

Hearing loss due to inadequate transduction of sound signals in the inner ear.

Utricle

Part of the vestibular system that detects forward and backward motion.

Saccule

Part of the vestibular system that detects up and down motion.

Cupula

Gelatinous structure in the semicircular canals that moves with head rotation.

Basilar membrane

A membrane in the cochlea that vibrates in response to sound waves.

Neural pathways for sound

Series of connections from hair cells through cochlear nerve to the auditory cortex.

Clinical defects

Problems related to hearing, including different types of deafness.

Sound waves

Mechanical waves caused by the movement of air molecules.